1. Crime and Incarceration ALC – Summer 2007 Alicia Simmons

3. Questions for Today 1.How much crime is there? 2.What are the trends in incarceration? 3.What are the social impacts of incarceration?

4. 1. How Much Crime? Different types of crime –Property –Violent The number of occurrences The % of the population that are victims

5. The Big Picture 2005: approximately 23 million crimes in the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2005 20% 80%

6. Property Crimes Motor vehicle theft Burglary Theft

7. Property Crime Statistics (2005) # of crimes% of victims Motor vehicle theft 2.5 million0.8 Burglary8.93 Theft35.112 Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2005

8. What Cars are Stolen Most Often?

9. Property crime # of crimes = 46.5 million% victims in pop.= 15% Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2005

10. Violent crimes Simple & aggravated assault Robbery Rape Homicide

11. Violent Crime Statistics (2005) # of crimes% of victims Simple assault4.1 million1 Aggravated assault 1.30.4 Robbery785,0000.3 Rape151,0000.05 Homicide30,2000.01 Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2005

12. Violent crime # of crimes = 6.3 million% victims in pop.= 3% Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2005

13. 2. Trends in Incarceration Incarceration around the world Current trends and their causes in the U.S. Impacts on specific groups

14. Incarceration Around the World 874,1711,548,498 http://www.prisonstudies.org

15. 2,193,798

16. http://www.prisonstudies.org Incarceration Rate (per 100,000 population)

17. Bureau of Justice Statistics

18. Causes of Prison Growth Pre 1970s: Indeterminate Sentencing 1970s – today: Tough on Crime –Politicization of crime –Growing conservative climate –American individualism Mauer, 2001

19. Determinant Sentencing Moves us from an offender-based to an offense-based system 88% of  in incarceration from 1980- 1996 is due to changes in punishment –51% results from  in the number of people doing time –37% results from  in term length Mauer, 2001

20. Bureau of Justice Statistics

21. Did Prison Growth Cause the Crime Drop? Ways an  in incarceration could lead to a  in crime –Rehabilitation: fixing criminals –Incapacitation: stopping current criminals –Deterrence: stopping future criminals 1993-2001: incarceration  the crime rate 2-5% Western, 2006

22. Impact on Specific Groups Immigrants Gender Race Social class

23. Immigrants & Crime Longstanding public fear of immigrant crime 1 st generations do not commit many crimes –2 nd and 3 rd generations commit more Martinez & Valenzuela, 2006

24. Gender and Incarceration Bureau of Justice Statistics

25. Race & Incarceration Free pop.Incarcerated pop. Lifetime likelihood of incarceration Black12%4330 Hispanic35 20 White70364.4

26. Bureau of Justice Statistics

27. Social Class & Incarceration % in Prison or Jail by Social Class and Race Males age 20-40 White1.6% Hispanic4.6 Black11.5 Non-College Males age 20-40 White3.2 Hispanic5.5 Black17.0 High School Dropout Males age 20-40 White6.7 Hispanic6.0 Black32.4

28. Tying the Trends Together Mass imprisonment: –“A rate of imprisonment and a size of prison population that is markedly above the historical and comparative norm for societies of this type.” (1) –“Social concentration of imprisonment’s effects.” (1) Garland, 2006

29. Why are things Unequal? Racial bias in the following institutions –Police: racial profiling –Courts: unequal representation –Laws: powder vs. crack cocaine A double standard exists for the upper vs. lower classes –Creates legitimacy issues Cole, 2001

30. 3. What are the Social Impacts? Stereotypes –Police interactions –Job opportunities

31. Stereotype: a conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image that a person applies to both a group and each individual within it –Black men are stereotyped as criminals –Whites are stereotyped as law abiding citizens

32. Interactions with the Police Black men are often wary of interactions with the police Worried about being innocent but getting into trouble –Demeanor with police Convictions create records that follow throughout your life Anderson, 1990

33. Job Opportunities Pager, 2003

34. Questions for Today 1.How much crime is there? 2.What are the trends in incarceration? 3.What are the social impacts of incarceration?